Tour de Pakistan: Khaplu

TWO OF THE OLDEST MOSQUES OF SUBCONTINENT IN SKARDU

This blog was first published at dunya news blog

Nature is multidimensional and if you don’t believe this, go to Skardu. You can enjoy the desert, the crystal clear water streams, lakes and roaring rivers, snow capped mountains and the forests. Besides, Skardu valley has a historical dimension too. Not only the famous Khaplu palace, the Shigar Fort and of course the historic PTDC K2 motel which has been hosting the expeditions teams since decades, Skardu is also the origin of two of the oldest mosques of subcontinent.

Khilangrong Mosque, Shigar

One of these is in Shigar Valley and the other in Khaplu. The mosque in Shigar Valley is known as Khilangrong. The mosque in Shigar Valley is believed to have sustained the rough times and weathers for more than four centuries but just like most of the historical sites in Pakistan, its condition is miserable. However, it was encompassed by a boundary wall which was broken from the front and the back side. As I entered the mosque area, I saw some goats and a dusty, wooden, two-floor architecture. It was quite evident that this mosque was not in use and may never be used in the future either. Like most of the housing architectures in the region, the mosque has wooden structure with beautiful wood work on it that should be preserved for our future generations.

Woodwork at Khilangrong Mosque

The second mosque is in Khaplu Valley, and it is believed to be the oldest in the subcontinent. It is called as Chaqchan Mosque.The mosque is a splendor in all its beauty. The interior has a lot of prayer rugs (known as jaa-e-namaz) and men and women come and pray here in the mosque.

Chaqchan Mosque

It has a central hall with four pillars for ceiling support and a terrace that was under construction during my visit. The main hall of the mosque also has a balcony that provides additional space for the people during Friday sermons.

Extended part of Chaqchan Mosque

The pleasant thing besides the well-maintained mosque is that the maintenance work follows the traditional design of the mosque. I wish the mosque in Shigar Valley could be maintained just like the one in Khaplu.

Chaqchan Mosque

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Khaplu

THE ‘BEES FUTTI’

This article was first published at dunya news blogs.

As I came out of the kitchen, which was the final point of a guided tour de Khaplu Palace, I pointed my camera towards the peak that was standing tall among all the other peaks of that mountain range. I asked the local student, who was my guide also, “What is the name of this peak?”

I had come to Skardu valley just three days ago and was there on a day long excursion as part of my trip. The whole valley was coloured in autumn nuance. Khaplu is a famous town in Skardu valley which is located 103 km east of Skardu. As you move alongside Indus River, you pass scenic points including the junction where Shyok River merges itself with Indus. Another amazing point that depicts symmetry of parallel trees lined on both sides of the road making it one of the most breathtaking scenes in Skardu. That specific place is known as Gawari village. I purposefully visited Skardu during autumn as being a photography enthusiast it provides me an immensely rich colour spectrum. So with the Blue sky and Gray Metallic road, the symmetrical autumn trees popped just perfectly as shown in the photo below.

Gawari village

Continuing on the road as you pass the Gwari villiage , the small city of Khaplu is not far. Khaplu is famous for being the center of governments in the ancient times and still a city of importance. It’s a small city with a fort cum palace that was used by the local rulers in the ancient times. The two important architectures here are the Khaplu Palace and the Chaqchan Mosque, out of which I will leave the former for a later blog.

The Khaplu Palace was like the other historical buildings of Pakistan, fully derelict, almost destroyed. Then, Agha Khan Foundation took its charge and made it part of Marriott Hotels chain of Pakistan. Not only the present state of Khaplu Palace is commendable, the rooms are well maintained and the overall look of this old center of government is simply inspiring. The rooms where the rulers once used to sit are adequately decorated while keeping the cultural look as well as blending in with the artificial lighting arrangements. Besides, the Agha Khan Foundation invested in refurbishing the old walls and wooden structure along with the necessary arrangements for safety against fire hazards. This seems exciting because the overall look is way beautiful than the Lahore fort, which is usually symbolized as the icon of Punjab.

Facade of Khaplu Palace

Wooden ceiling of Khaplu Palace

A room of khaplu palace as part of Marriott hotel

For the visitors who visit this heritage site, a fee of Rs. 200 is charged that is nothing compared to the beauty of this fort. This fort is located higher than the downtown of Khaplu and hence is surrounded by beautiful and surreal forest. And when in the morning the people light their kitchens, the smoke makes it a feast for the eyes.

A guide is provided by the management that gives a nice overview of history. He guided me in understanding the purpose of various rooms that were designed to work as a storage during Winter and the central royal kitchen as well as the arsenal of the royal force. The guided tour ends at the restaurant which is formed at the terrace of the fort and it was there that I saw a sky-kissing peak on the Karakoram mountain range. I asked that boy the name of the peak. He looked and said, “No specific name Sir Ji, we just call it ‘Bees Futti’ (The twenty feet high)”.